Icould not write any thing in my weblog in the last days. I was really busy. I am working on a magazine about the Microcredit for an institute. And also working on a report about the journalism duering the last year in Iran...

Can Ms. Kar go to Iran?
After the end of meeting I went near khatami. It was full of youth. President saw me and said how you are Memarian? After a short welcome dialogue, I asked him about the destiny of Mehrangiz e Kar- Pourzand”s wife- for coming to Iran. “I have read her friendly letter. I have mentioned it in the ministers meeting and the governmental security system has no problem for her coming to Iran. But now we are trying to talk with judiciary. I hope we solve this problem soon.” He said.
I hope Ms. Kar come to Iran and visit her husband in the hospital.

Can you sleep relaxed in nights, president Khatami?
Tuesday I attend in Youth day meeting with President Khatami. There were about 150 youth there. 15 of us had 3-5 minutes to ask him a question or talk about things that we think is important to say. Representative of Students, Sports, Actors and actress, Basijies, Hezbollahi, labor and the other youth attended in this meeting. It started at nine o’clock. And I spoke as a representative of young journalist. It was unbelievable the things that youth mentioned it this meeting.


A young girl student taunted Khatami about his turnover during these years. “When I was coming here I asked my friends to design some question for my 3 minutes. But they told me that it is better to be silent in this 3 minutes opportunity to show our objection.” She said. “When will you break your silence?” She added. “Can you sleep comfortable in nights?” said another girl, representative of young poet and writers.
One of the young cartoonists gave president a cartoon of him. President laughed at the cartoon and shakes with Hadi Heidary, my dear friend.
When a came to talk, I was very sad Because of the atmosphere. I started my sentences with the situation of journalism and journalists in Iran and finish the it with a suggestion.
“During the last years, many of Iranian journalists began their work. But by some causes, at the present time many of them have leaf out their job and their ideals. Many of them have left the country. Because they could not continue their job. One of my friends asked you about your sleep at night. But let me tell you that many of us can not have a comfortable dream at nights. Because we fear about the destiny of ourselves, loose our life family and even our prestige. But the remained journalists have many professional problems like Insurance.”
I asked president to establish a committee to follow the insurance file of journalists that has begun by Association of Iranian Journalists in the remain time of his presidency period. President khatami wrote some thing when I was talking…..

A few hours later about 100 hundred of youth will attend at the meeting with president khatami. Because today is National youth day. About ten of these youth will talk about 5minutes each one. I am one of them. Now i am working on my text to make it clear and useful. Some of my friends advised me to talk about the civil society and some points in this field. But my friends in Association of Iranian Journalist - That I am a member of them- advised me to talk about some professional problems and a suggestion a governmental committee to follow up these problems. I am working on this context. My best friend helped me to clarify some point of it. Thank you S.T.

Cardoso: NGOs vital to changing world politics
April 24, 2004, 5:07 PM EDT
PRINCETON BOROUGH, N.J. (AP) _ Non-governmental organizations are reshaping the landscape of policymaking, particularly international trade and terrorism, the former president of Brazil said Saturday.
"The roles of all actors _ state and non-state _ are changing quickly, and their relationships are also changing," Fernando Henrique Cardoso said in a speech at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Iran may be a US ally again
America has had a devil of a time in picking its friends, especially in the Middle East and even more especially when it came to choosing between Iran and Iraq(Continued...)

The Iranian Hand
BY MICHAEL LEDEEN
Much is being made about the irony of an Iranian envoy arriving in Iraq to help negotiate a solution to the U.S. standoff with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. How could we allow a charter member of President Bush's "Axis of Evil" to negotiate a "peace" with the thuggish Sadr and his band of fanatical militants?

U.S. Firms' Work With Iran, Syria Targeted
By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Sen. Frank Lautenberg accused American companies on Thursday of collecting "blood money" by doing business with terror sponsors and said he would push for legislation to stop it. Lautenberg, D-N.J., made his comments alongside New York City comptroller William Thompson, who as manager of employee pension funds is fighting several companies' over their business dealings with Iran and Syria(Continued...)

Speaking for Europe, Chirac Warns Iran on Inspections

By ELAINE SCIOLINO
Published: April 22, 2004
ARIS, April 21 - In a hardening of Europe's position toward Iran's nuclear activities, President Jacques Chirac of France criticized Iran on Wednesday for failing to comply fully with international inspections of its nuclear sites, and suggested that Iran had violated the spirit of an agreement with France, Germany and Britain to curtail its nuclear programs, senior French officials said.

Start yourself accountability!
The association of "Defending the freedom of press" has written a letter to leader and asked him to be responsible and accountable about all that have happened against press and journalists during the recent years. "We know that you are directly responsible about all that happened against press and journalists." the letter said. “You said at the beginning of this year that this year is "accountability year”. So it is better to start yourself and say what you have done for the freedom of express during these years?" the letter mentioned seriously and critically.
I thought this is the April’s lie. But the April is going to the end and it won’t be a joke. The association has gotten to an analysis which tells them that at this time they have to be radical. No one of the newspaper can publish this letter. If they publish even a part of it, they would ban immediately. Like the Yasseno newspaper which was closed after they publish a part of MPs letter to the leader 2 days before election.

Reporters Without Borders outraged at Siamak Pourzand's treatment in hospital
The organisation will hold the Iranian authorities responsible for the deterioration in the journalist's state of health....

Pourzand in the way to death!


It is a little to 3 am and my eyes has been wet for along time, I don’t know how long was that,3 hours or more.....Siamak Pourzand an Iranian journalist, 73 years old, has left the prison and now is in the hospital. He can not control his urine. This 73 years old journalist sent to the jail 1 year ago. They said ha has done some efforts against the national security....now he can not remember any thing. He is in CCU. It seems death of Zahra Kazemi has not been a cautionary and warning for the officials….It is hard to believe that a man with no control on his urine and to remember any thing can hurt the regime…..Woh….what a pressure…. No can write about the situation of Pourzand freely….I will try to write comment about him and ask President Khatami to use his power to help him…. But in my there is a sound that tells me if Khatami could do anything, he would do it for his friends who are in the prison now….Perhaps the international organization…but no!
His daughter from Torento has said that she had a short talk with her aunt. “She has chain in his hand in the hospital.” She said. “Pourzand has been forbidden to meet anyone.” unbelievable! His wife is in US . She was in US before they caught him to prison. Ms. Mehrangiz e kar is a women activist. She is professor in university and ahs written many books about violence against women…. She is very alone in US with her 18 years old daughter. Who can help him? To get rid of prison? He is really too old to endure the difficulty of prison…

Report: Iran authorities arrest experts for handing out nuclear secrets
Iran has arrested two nuclear experts for passing nuclear secrets to "foreigners" in what could turn out to be the first such arrests inside Iran's nuclear industry, a newspaper reported Wednesday, quoting an informed source as saying.

U.S. Renews Easing of Some Iran Sanctions
By Carol Giacomo, Diplomatic Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration has extended a temporary suspension of some U.S. sanctions on Iran that were eased to speed relief supplies after a devastating earthquake last December. The president of the American Iranian Council, Hooshang Amirahmadi, on Tuesday hailed the move as "another (U.S.) gesture of goodwill to Iran" but a State Department official dismissed the decision as "matter of fact, not political."

Germany arrange Iran date for earthquake victims
FRANKFURT, Germany
(AFP) - World Cup finalists Germany will take on Iran in Tehran on October 9 in a benefit match for the thousands of victims affected by the earthquake disaster in December.
AFP/File Photo
German Football Federation (DFB) spokesman Harald Stenger confirmed the fixture would take place after initial doubts about when the match should be played.
Iran and Germany have met on the football pitch just once before with Germany triumphing 2-0 back in June 1998.
Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff scored the goals.

Today my article about IEARN (Internationa Education and resource network) published in "Vaghaye" newspaper. I love this article...it is about the connection between school all over the world. It shows how a virtual civil society promotes hope and improves the relations.

Pourzand in the way to death!
It is a little to 3 am and my eyes has been wet for along time, I don’t know how long was that,3 hours or more.....Siamak Pourzand an Iranian journalist, 73 years old, has left the prison and now is in the hospital. He can not control his urine. This 73 years old journalist sent to the jail 1 year ago. They said ha has done some efforts against the national security....now he can not remember any thing. He is in CCU. It seems death of Zahra Kazemi has not been a cautionary and warning for the officials….It is hard to believe that a man with no control on his urine and to remember any thing can hurt the regime…..Woh….what a pressure…. No can write about the situation of Pourzand freely….I will try to write comment about him and ask President Khatami to use his power to help him…. But in my there is a sound that tells me if Khatami could do anything, he would do it for his friends who are in the prison now….Perhaps the international organization…but no!
His daughter from Torento has said that she had a short talk with her aunt. “She has chain in his hand in the hospital.” She said. “Pourzand has been forbidden to meet anyone.” unbelievable! His wife is in US for medical treatment. She affected by cancer. She was in US when they caught him to prison. Ms. Mehrangiz e kar is a women activist. She is professor in university and ahs written many books about violence against women…. She is very alone in US with her 18 years old daughter. Who can help him? To get rid of prison? He is really old to endure the difficulty of prison…

The dragons and the assocaitions
Some of the reformists have established an NGO to support the rights of political prisoner. I think this is the new way for reformist to look forward their goals. At the same time the entry of politician will have some dangers for the civil society sphere. Because during the recent years, conservatives were not sensitive to this section but now it will change. Of course there will be not any danger for the NGOs who are working on humanitarian aids or supporting the patients of even development NGOs. But NGOs which are near to human right and freedom of express will have more problems. The dragon pays attention under his feet. Civil society organizations are the next purpose for dragons. But this time they are vary careful. What will they do? They will build a counterfeit civil society. How? Whenever the democrats (I prefer to use democrats instead of reformists) establish a civil association they establish another one with a similar name. So our civil society has two faces. In many conferences they attend as the representative of real civil society. But they are not. I want to write a comment on this subject…. But its too late….it is 4 am…..Woh!!!!!

It is 2 am. I can not spleep these days. i have to work hard. now I am working on a paper about microcredit in Afghanistan.
After it I will edit an interview and then finish a unfinished comment...I think it takes long even till 5 a.m.....

Peace Prize winners honored
Dalai Lama, Tutu and Ebadi visit B.C.
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Three Nobel Peace Prize winners were honored by the University of British Columbia yesterday for their non-violent resolutions to world conflict.
The Dalai Lama, retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and human-rights activist Shirin Ebadi spoke to a gathering at the university before being granted honorary degrees.(Continued...)
(Thank you charlie for sending the link)

The dragons and the assocaitions
Some of the reformists have establishes an NGO to support the rights of political prisoner. I think this is the new way for reformist to look forward their goals. At the same time the entry of politician will have some dangers for the civil society sphere. Because during the recent years, conservatives were not sensitive to this section but now it will change. Of course there will be not any danger for the NGOs who are working on humanitarian aids or supporting the patients of even development NGOs. But NGOs which are near to human right and freedom of express will have more problems. The dragon pays attention under his feet. Civil society organizations are the next purpose for dragons. But this time they are vary careful. What will they do? They will build a counterfeit civil society. How? Whenever the democrats (I prefer to use democrats instead of reformists) establish a civil association they establish another one with a similar name. So our civil society has two faces. In many conferences they attend as the representative of real civil society. But they are not. I want to write a comment on this subject…. But its too late….it is 4 am…..Woh!!!!!!!!!

Analysis: Iran's influence in Iraq


An official Iranian delegation is in Baghdad at Washington's request to help resolve the impasse between the US occupation authorities and Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr. Middle East analyst Dilip Hiro says this underlies the influence that the predominantly Shia Iran has on the neighbouring Iraqi Shias.
The Iranian influence is exercised through different channels - a phenomenon helped by the fact that there is no single, centralised authority in Iran

Galaxy, Iran cancel April 28 matc
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARSON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Galaxy and Iran national team canceled their April 28 match because of problems securing the necessary paperwork for the Iranians to travel....

Shirin Ebadi and Dalai Lama



His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (C), Professor Shirin Ebadi of Iran (L) and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu leave the stage after receiving honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, April 19, 2004. Tenzin Gyatso, has lived in exile in India since 1959, but he is still considered by many to be both the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama kicks off his 19 day tour of Canada with four days of lectures in Vancouver. REUTERS/Lyle Stafford

Today the weather is rainy. Another newspaper will publish in the early weeks. They called me to have cooperation with them. But I am really busy these days. Today i have come to my sister home. Her Husband has gone to the China for business and I spend my time with her. We are twin.

I had an interview with Simon Susskind and publish it in newspaper soon. It will be in farsi and english....

A journalist is dying because of long prison period and….


Siamak Pourzand an Iranian journalist has a hard heart attack in prison and perhaps in the next hours he dies. The security officials have sent him to the hospital but his life is really in danger. He has been in prison for more two years. The name of Pourzand was at the top of a list that European countries asked the official to free him. But it seems that the European countries that always talk about human rights in the public are concluding their contracts.....and their show off has not any effect of the life of journalist and the other people who are under the torture and pressure....

Shirin Ebadi has started a new way


During the last days, Shirin Ebadi the Nobel peace prize has shown a new face of herself in international scenes. After winning the prize many people talked about the worthiness of her to achieve this prize. Some of them believed that there are many other remarkable persons that are more effective in peace or human rights. Some of them talked that she has not the capacity for carrying the things that will happen after it. And also many of people admired her. At that time I wrote a comment in Yasseno paper and emphasized that the prize belong to civil society and Ebadi really is worthy for the prize. She had a continually activities in many human right and of course in civil society related activities. At that time she said that there is no conflict between Islam and democracy and human rights but at the same time she didn’t use hejab for herself and sail that hejab is only a internal rule for people in Iran but not something obligatory in Islam. It was the first point to confronting with Islamic rules. Islamic regime has set hejab as a obligatory rile foe women after revolution. Conservatives and also some of the reformists –even- was astonished. But she was the winner of Nobel Prize…it has many expenses for them to object to her. I remember A few months before this event that Zahra eshraghi, grandchild of Ayatollah Khomeini talked with Elaine Schiolino, the reporter of NTtimes about hejab in Tehran. She said that we don’t like hejab or something like this….so the conservatives were trying to hold demonstrations against her so she was compelled to deny her interview. So you can see not to use hejab by Ebadi how was important. It has symbolic meaning.
It passed and now she little by little talks about things that show she knows the responsibility of the prize. Many of social activist believe that Shirin Ebadi has to play an important role in the changes after election and it seems she has heard this message. During her trip to Europe she has said some critical sentences about the situation of human rights in Iran. She has charged European countries that they are transacting with conservatives because they didn’t put the name of Iran in the list of countries which have not observed the human right issues. She said ignoring situation of human rights in iron is an insulting for democratic movement Iran. She appeared as an opposition. Who can believe it?
Now just after a few months of winning the prize Ebadi show a picture of a woman who has started a new way to continue her challenging. Is it a spark? Or it is a part of process? We have to wait to answer it

It is 3 am. i will work untill 6 . I can sleep untill 12.

Today is friday and everyone is off but I have to go to my office for a meeting. What a boring day. I have waken up at 6 to prepare a report and then edit a interview for newpaper and also perpare the framfork of our next newsletter in our center...Wohhhhh...

Wonderful! O-hum Iranian Rock band. Shahram Sharbaf the vocalist and was my classmate in high school. we were members of our school football team. He was smart and kind. They left Iran because Islamic regime never let them to be active in public. they prepared 2 album but they didnt let them to distribute them.

Kidnapped, jailed, beaten ... over a bloodied T-shirt
Repression goes on while Iran seeks friendship with the West. Dan De Luce reports from Tehran

Sunday April 4, 2004
The Observer

His handsome face was seen around the world. The photograph, used on the front of the Economist magazine, showed Ahmad Batebi, his hands holding the bloodstained T-shirt of a fellow student beaten by paramilitaries. His look of indignation captured the mood of young Iranians demonstrating for democracy in the summer of 1999.

Britain sought Iran's helpFrom correspondents in Washington
April 15, 2004

BRITAIN invited an Iranian delegation to visit Iraq in a bid to calm the volatile security situation in the south and the United States did not object, a senior State Department official said today.
They were invited by the British," the official said. "Obviously, we did not object."

Voices in Iran Struggling to Be Heard, April 12, 2004

U.N.: Credibility at Stake for Rights Commission

Geneva, March 10, 2004) ? Instead of exposing human rights problems, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights risks drawing a veil across some of the worst human rights situations in the world, Human Rights Watch said today ahead of its annual session.

MISSION TO THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN*

During the last days I was so busy. I was working on my book. Professor Yoones(Jonah) Shokrkhah who I was his student in journalism 4 days ago accepted to write a preface for my book. I really appreciate him here. I think he liked it. Beside I am working on a magazine about microcredit funds for National Youth Organization. At the same time I have joined to a translation group to collect materials for a book about Good Governance. Fortunately a volunteer joined us a few days ago who is capable in management and many skills which use in social activities.
Neverthereless I have to pay attention to ma parents who are getting old and need more kindness. My brother always helps them and also tries to make better time for them but I am always busy. I hate this damned life which has made us tired ….

“Vaghaye” will publish Saturday. During these days I had some interview with some social activists and experts about some social issues and working on 3 reports. So I was really busy. But i hope I continue writing in my weblog courteously. If you find any article or news that is related to Iran and people in all and even in the world please send me the link….

I had an interview with Mary-Ann Stephenson a member of national commission of women in UK. She has talked about the situation of women NGOs in UK.

Two days ago Judge Mortazavi selected as the best manager of Judiciary system. Judge Mortazavi is the man who was involve in the murder file of Zahra Kazemi. When many of people are wondering about the destiny of Zahra Kazemi.

During the last days Americans asked the Islamic regime to use their influence to control the Shiite in south of Iraq. It means they asked Iran to help them…Congratulation….

Will Iraq Open Kerry’s way to presidency?

The restoration in Iraq was the most important issue during the last few days. Now it seems the face of US is getting more and more notorious in Iraq. Perhaps the US charge Iran officials to interfere in these conflicts, but as anybody know the face of US is not as a partisans for freedom. They are occupier an Islamic territory and killing the occupiers is obligatory for any Moslem and every one of the religious Moslem can implement the JAHAD order or the other Islamic orders. After a few months Iraqi people can see the Americans can not bring them peace and security and also they afraid about their destiny. They are pessimist about any action of US. But nobody can hide tendency of Iran about failure of US in Iraq. As it has many effects on the Iranian society it costs for them even to invest there. This is a common feeling in Middle East countries especially in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and Palestine. In the other hand Americans have many problems to balance the power between the Iraqis. Many of Iranian believes that if US could solve the Iraq problem, they would start the case of Iran. So they think this is gift from the sky for conservatives that can drive in a one way road without any control and consideration….Because at this opportunity they can rearrange their forces. During these days they talk about the failure of American in Iraq and say it is the result of exporting democracy with gun. But Iranian society as follow the traditional approach after the war between Iraq and Iran, don’t pay attention to these events.
Now, I think this is a best chance for Kerry to use these entire events as a weak point of President Bush. President Bush can hardly go out of this predicament. So now the question is about the effect of Iraq event on US president process. Iraq events and the blood of American troops will open the way on next president. Can you imagine it?

Civil Society Gossip
During the last days the leader has formed a group to work on NGOs and their role in the society. Leader and some parallel security institutions are trying to know and compare the effects of this association on the people.
During the lasts month the process of registration for NGOs has become troublesome and bothersome. The ministry of interior is responsible for this part. However they are a part of reformist government, they have no picture about people, NGOs and the other related issues. Sometimes they act as conservatives and we have to confront with these guys. There is a joke when we fall in this kind of troubles. Loose maradona ake MOI.
(The joke: Once Maradona Goes to Tabriz for a friendly match. The coach of Tabriz had a problem with their defender so use a inexperienced man. But he do instead of Maradona to goal for once and twice and more….Suddenly the coach says: “ loose Maradona, take Ghazanfar-name of player)
So we have to say it is better to loose conservatives and take MOI. They goal to themselves and people.

A political tremor
Apr 7th 2004 | BAM
From The Economist print edition

The hopeful consequences of real democracy in Bam
(THanks Charlie to send this article
BEHIND the dark clouds, a glimmer of hope. Last week, the mayor of Bam confessed to aid workers that Iran's government had done a rotten job of helping survivors of the earthquake that razed his city in December. Surprise at the mayor's candour turned to delight at the prospect of local democracy when a well-knownsociologist, Siyamak Zand- Razavi, stood up to announce an earthquake of his own. For the authorities are supporting his proposal that the survivors should elect petitioners to present their concerns to the government. The authorities hopethis will prevent a recurrence of last month's rioting, when buildings were gutted and police fired on demonstrators. For his part, Mr Zand-Razavi is attacking the secrecy and paternalism that have made Bam a byword for official
failure.

Most of the people in the tens of thousands of tents that line the roads and fill the empty spaces of the shattered city are jobless and glum. Not long agothey regarded the government's main relief agencies as their saviour; now they curse it. UN people rue the government's failure to communicate with the people. From the beginning, government officials neglected to impress on the survivors that most of the almost $500m pledged by foreign donors would come, not in the
form of handouts to the needy, but as help towards rebuilding. More recently, the Iranian authorities promised to provide temporary houses for all by April 5th, yet only a few have been built.

Squabbling between different departments has contributed to the gloom. It took an unseemly public outburst in March before Iran's Red Crescent Society secured nearly $2m of international aid that the foreign ministry had received but
seemed reluctant to hand over. Most survivors believe that powerful institutions have pilfered the juiciest aid.

Behind the disquiet is a collision between two cultures: Iran's nanny state, which resents foreigners, and the freewheeling agencies that disburse international aid. Yaqoub Derijani, a Bam councillor, blames foreign organisations for raising expectations and causing a "division between peopleand the state". The truth is that sustained scrutiny has highlighted Iran's crippling insularity. Many more temporary houses would have been built, were it
not for the authorities' insistence that Iranian firms should build them. Mindful of its obligations to Iran, the UN is said to have earmarked as much as $1m for the government's efforts to reunify families split up in the quake's
chaos, yet UN workers on the ground are quietly seeking out non-governmental outfits better able to do the job.

Despite misgivings, the authorities have had to tolerate unprecedented outside interference. The UN is using school reconstruction as a pretext for modernising teaching methods. The government is being obliged to stifle its ingrained
hostility to independent do-gooding bodies, whether foreign or local.

By the end of this year, Mr Zand-Razavi predicts, Bam will have enshrined popular participation as never before in Iran. It will have two representatives, a man and a woman, for every 30-40 households, plus an operating staff of 120
for the town. Bam's representatives may be the only elected Iranians to escape verification for their loyalty to revolutionary tenets, a process that led to the disqualification of over 4,000 candidates in February's general election. The possible consequences of more democracy in Bam have not been lost on the old
guard of revolutionaries. More reverberations may be expected.

The "Vagheye e Ettefaghieh" the next reformist newspaper will publish next Saturday. I have a weekly page about civil society in it and also daily column. But I am involved in ICTRC as you know. This is center for training and research for NGOs. I love working in this center. We have a good team and also are focusing on subjects that are really interesting for me. Last month our centered a book about the "Civil Society" by Dr. Dehkordi. He is one of consultant of our center. I like to follow my interests about civil society in our centers that we have established very hard during the last years. how ever in the journalists capacity in am involve in many issues. i prepared my first page last day. If there is any interesting subject about NGOs or civil society in whole that I can use by translating in farsi send me a link please friends...!

During the recent days I was working on my page in our newspaper that will publish next week. We had some short classes to talk about the new methods of writing reports and news and how to be more effective in newspaper. The political atmosphere now is dusky but I think there are many changes in the way…..

....After the recent parliamentary election conservatives captured the parliament. How ever they deleted all reformists to take part in election. The number of participants decreased to 30 percent in Tehran and 51 percent in whole country. Many of people and reformist also, believe this is the result of organized cheating. Anyway, reformists are out of a powerful democratic entity. Mohammah Reza Khatami the brother of president and deputy of speaker says that the reformist continue the reform in civil society. How can they do it? How is the position of civil society in Iran? What is the challenges and treats in this era? To answer these questions we have to go back and study civil society in Iran more.....I am working on this issue and will write an article about it later....

Iran Vows to Show It's Not Building Nukes
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran promised to prove by mid-May that it doesn't want to build nuclear weapons, the chief U.N. nuclear inspector said Tuesday.

The Victory of an Iranian Choice
If doubts remained as to the extent that last month’s rigged Iranian elections were boycotted by Iranian citizens, they were put to rest Tuesday, March 16. That evening, on a walk through Tehran’s residential neighborhoods, one could see just how loathed Iran’s ruling theocracy is among the Iranian people.

Another Renaissance
What today we call theater started in Iran with the ceremonies around the death of Siavash, the mythical hero popularized in the main by the Book of Kings, three thousand years before the birth of Christ. Ta’ziyeh later took its theatrical form from this tradition, dramatizing the plight of Shiite Imams

Iranian Singers and Dubai


During the nowrooz holiday some of the Iranian singers who have left Iran after revolution held many concerts in Dubai for Iranians. Many of Iranian love these singers and prepare their cassette in Iran by some illegal ways. In recent years these singers come to Dubai and Iranian goes there to be present in these concerts. More than 50000 of Iranian leave Iran during the holiday and go to Dubai to spend their money freely with no internal limitation. So million of dollars is spent in this way. Dubai is the best market for many of Iranian artists and singers who have left Iran after revolution…here are two picture of this concert. One of them shows the audiences in one of these concerts and the other show an Iranian woman vo

No object


The security agents move forward and push a man who tried to object to a part of Hashemi Rafsanjani a high rank Ayatollah during the Friday prayer. Look at the hands and arms and the faces.

I start to work today. Iran really was off for almost 20 days. But it was a good oppirtunity for me to deal with things that i had no time to do it before. Today tehran was not crowded at astonished me. Because in the similar time city is full of people and you can not breath easily. The weather is clean and rainy. everything goes well.

TV Shows Take On Bush, and Pull Few Punches

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., March 31 — Galvanized politically in ways they have not been since the early 1990's, Hollywood's more liberal producers and writers are increasingly expressing their displeasure with President Bush with not only their wallets, but also their scripts.
In recent weeks, characters in prime time have progressed beyond the typical Hollywood knocks against Washington politicians to calling out the president directly or questioning his policies, including the decision to go to war in Iraq, the support of the antiterrorism law and the backing of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
On the NBC show "Whoopi," the hotelier played by Whoopi Goldberg delivered an anti-Bush screed when the president, played by a lookalike, appeared at her establishment to use the facilities. "I can't believe he's in there doing to my bathroom what he's done to the economy!" she said.(Continued...)

Follow the the early american presidency election news campaign in nytimes

U.S. Sanctions 13 Firms for Iran Dealings WASHINGTON - The United States has imposed sanctions against 13 foreign companies for selling equipment or technology to Iran that can be used for unconventional weapons, the State Department said Friday.

April Fool's Day
I didnt know that there is a western custom like the same we have in Iran: "Sizdebedar Lie". Mary has sent me comment and told me that "April1" is like the"Sizdebedar Lie":
"I was reading your blog and the 13th day of Nowrooz. It comes at a funny time
because I was just talking to my daughter about the Western custom of the 1st of
April, called April Fool's Day. It sounds exactly like Sizdebedar! Apparently
each country in Europe, and the United States, claims to have invented this
tradition, but it looks like it actually comes from Persia. Maybe we Americans
have more roots in Persia than we realize."

A reformist newspaper that I have written about it will publish next week. I will work with them. Perhaps i will hve a weekly page about civil society and NGOs. It wil run with a professional team.

The lie of SIZDEBEDAR

Today was 13th of Nowrooz that Iranian call is SIZDEBEDAR. This is the last day of Nowrooz holiday. People in this day go out of their home our cities and try to have good time in nature. They say 13 can be with bad chances for them when they are in home. Beside in this day we have Lie of Sizdebedar. It means perhaps individuals talk about something very seriously which is wrong. This is lie of 13th. But people after that say it was lie of SIZDEBEDAR. People in this they call each other and say something that make astonish them. But after a few moments they say:” it is SIZDEBEDAR lie.” Today Like the election period, I had many messages on my mobile about the lie of SIZDEBEDAR( Lie of 13th of Farvardin). Some these lie messages are:
1 – Khatami has killed himself.
2-President bush because of the revenge of Sheikh Ahmad Yassins terror has killed this morning
30 Guardian council has proved a law for women to be free from hejab….
4 – the election will be held again after the holiday
5- Iran has gotten the second rank after Japan in economic growth.
And these kind of messages. It was very funny…I want to read a comment on it later.

Donor Driven groups

During the last years many of Iranian NGOs have established out of Iran. Whenever you look at the one the opposition’s letter you can see the name of many groups which have signed it. But are the foreign Iranian civil society has grown up this so much? Some of the people who are involved with Iranian out of country believe that most of these groups are one-person NGOs. They say that these NGOs are established to guide the support of European countries for their activities. But they are not representative of Iranian people. I have talked about counterfeit civil society in Iran by government and especially by conservatives. But I think this another side of this civil society. Their mechanism for earning is like the same in Iran. Some international organization or even UN agencies support them as the representative of minority groups but they are not and also judgment is really hard for these kinds of organizations. This is one of our problems in Iran. Perhaps you ask why? Because they destroy the atmosphere of NGOs who are working seriously. They look at the atmosphere and then try to specify their activities. We say they are “Donor Driven” groups….Now it is time to evaluate the role of these NGOs in Iran or our or Iran. It will show us many results.